Ribbon mechanism for typewriters



Oct. 6, 1931. R. SElDELiNGER 1,825,705

RIBBON MECHANISM FOR TYPEWRITERS Filed Oct. 28, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 41 WITNESSES V I N V EN TOR:

ATTORNEYS.

R. SEIDELINGER RIBBON MECHANISM FOR TYPEWRITERS Get. 6, 1 931.

Filed Oct. 28, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEYS.

Patented Oct. 6, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ROBIE SEIDELINGER, OF ll-IILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA RIBBON MECHANISM FOR T'YPEWRITEBS Application filed October 28, 1926.

cessitating any attention whatsoever on the part of the operative except when renewal of a worn ribbon is necessary.

' Other objects and attendant attributes of the present improvements will be readily apparent from the detailed description which follows of the drawings, whereof Fig. I is the plan view of a typewriter conveniently embodying my invention.

Fig. II is a skeletonized fragmentary plan view, on a larger scale than the preceding, showing the details ofthe automatic means by which the ribbon is fed; and,

Fig. III is a fragmentary elevation, with certain parts in section, in accordance with the arrows IIIIII in Fig. II.

Directing attention first to Fig. I of these illustrations l comprehensively designates the platen carriage, which, together with its roll 11, is supported for longitudinal progression in appropriate guides (not shown) provided by the frame 12 of the machine. Suitable escapement mechanism concealed within the frame 12 serves to govern intermittent shifting of the carriage which is subject to the pull of a tape 13 (Fig. II and III) whereof the end is attached to the periphery of a spring barrel 14 rotatably mounted on said typewriter frame at the left hand rear corner. The escapement mechanism above mentioned is coordinated with the movement of the letter keys shown at 15; but since the intermediary parts are not involved in the present invention, it has been deemed un-' necessary to illustrate them in the drawings. The letter keys 15 are pivoted at their inner ends to a common fulcrum axis supported by a transversely-slotted longitudinal mounting bar extending between the sides of the ma- Serial No. 144,689.

chine frame 12 near the back, and they are individually pressed upward into contact with a guide and stop strip afiixed to the rear of the frontal plate 19 in accordance with known practice.

The ink ribbon R passes between spools 31, 32 concealed in theforward part of the machine by opposing'cover-wings 33, 34 of sheet metal capable of being swung upwardly and outwardly about hinge connections 35 with opposite ends of the frame 12 for convenience in effecting replacement of the ribbon B, when necessary. In tracing the course of the ribbon It from the left hand spool 31 in Fig. II and III, it will be observed that the same emerges through a slot 36 in the horizontal top of the cover-wing 33; and, by means of an angular guide 37 its direction of travel is changed so as to pass, edges up,

and down, immediately to the front of the platen roll 11. At the right hand side of the machine, another angular guide 38 acts to direct the ribbon R downward through a slot 39 in the cover wing34 for passage to the winding spool 32. 1 At the medial point of its horizontal travel, the ribbon It, is engaged by a carrier 40. This carrier 40 has a depending tongue that is guided for vertical move ment in a slide bearing at the rear of the type-bar sector.

The ribbon winding spools 31, 32 are mounted at oppositeends of a support that is disposed longitudinally of the machine in the horizontal interval between the type bars 24 and the letter keys 15, and within the confines of the cover wings 33, 3 The spool support 80 is tiltable about an axis 81 provided by a fixed upstanding bracket 82, see Figs. II and III, and, as shown, is formed from bar metal with laterally turned ends 83 that serve as journals for a shaft 84, as well as 1n part for the spindles 85, 86 whereon the spools 31, 32 are removably mounted, said spindles receiving further journal support from separately attached angled-brackets 87. Near opposite ends, the shaft 84 has secured to it miter pinions 88, 89 adapted to cooperate respectively with'companion pinions 90, 91 on stub shafts 92, 93, which are in turn respectively coordinated, through miter couples 94, 95, with the spool spindles 85, 86. The shaft 84 also carries, at an intermediate point and in spaced relation, a pair of opposed bevel gears 96, 97 adapted for alternate meshing engagement with a common driving bevel-pmion 98 mounted on the end of a horizontal shaft 99 which is journaled in positionally-fixed upright bearings 100. As the ribbon spool support 80 is swung or rocked on its pivot 81, the ends of the shaft 84 are alternately engaged by leaf-springs 101, 102, tending to axially shift it in its bearings 83 either to the right or left in accordance with the direction of the swinging movement. \Vith the spool support 80 in the position of Fig. III it will be observed that the spring 102 is functioning to hold the shaft 84 toward the left so as to maintain the bevel gear 97 in mesh with the driving pinion 98 and the miter pinion 88 in engagement with its companion pinion 90, while the bevel gear 96 and the miter pinion 89 are permitted to turn idly. As a consequence, the spool 31 is driven to wind the ribbon R, while the spool 32 is left free to rotate without restraint in satisfying the ribbon movement. When the spool support 80 is tilted clockwise, from the position shown in Fig. III, the conditions will obviously be reversed; i. e., the spring 101 will axially shift the shaft 84 to the right, thereby to bring the bevel gear 96 thereon into mesh with the driving pinion 98 and, at the same time, effect coupling of the miter pinions 89, 91 whereupon the spool 32 will be positively driven and the spool 31 released for unwinding. For the purpose of stabilizing the oscillatory or swinging movements of the spool support 80 I provide guides 103, 104 which are slotted vertically to engage the ends of the shaft 84. The means by which the ribbon feeding mechanism is coordinated for movement concurrently with shifting of the platen carriage 10 include a spur-gear connection at 105 (Fig. II) with the axis of the spring barrel 14, the movement thus obtained being transmitted by a bevel pinion 106 on the shaft 107 carry ing one of the spur gears to an intermeshing bevel 108 on one end of an inclined countershaft 109 which, at its opposite end is cou- )led by a pair of miter pinions 110 with the horizontal shaft 99, previously referred to.

The operation of the ribbon feeding means just described is of course entirely automatic, that is to say: as the ribbon R is exhausted from the spool 32-for example. it tends to prevent rotation of the shaft 84 by gears 97 and 98; whereupon the gear 98 acts on the gear 97 to tilt or swing the shaft 84 about the pivot 81 in a clockwise direction, Fig. III of the drawings, due to the gear 97 being restrained from rotation with concurrent coupling of the exhausted spool 32 by meshin g of the driving connections 89, 91 for winding. and disconnection of the full spool 31 for unwinding as previously explained.

The ribbon feeding mechanism therefore needs no attention whatever on the part of the operative except for the purpose of renewing a worn out ribbon. The latter operation may be quickly accomplished by swinging the cover wings 33, 34 outward upon their hinges 35 whereupon access may be readily had to the winding mechanism and spools.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. Ribbon mechanism for typewriters comprising a pair of winding spools between which the ribbon travels; means for rotating each spool; a tiltably-supported and axially-shiftable member operative to alternately drive the respective spool rotating means; means for tilting said member when ribbon is exhausted from either spool and alternately active leaf-springs responsive to the tilting of said axially-shiftable member effective to shift the member axially and thereby couple-up an exhausted spool rotating means and concurrently uncouple the full spool driving means, respectively to and from the shiftable member aforesaid.

2. Ribbon mechanism for typewriters comprising a pair of ribbon spools; a rotating means for each spool; a tiltably-supported and axially-shiftable operative member for alternately driving the spool rotating means; means for tilting said member when ribbon is exhausted from either spool; and means to shift said member axially when it is tilted to render the same effective to drive the spool from which the ribbon is exhausted.

3. Ribbon mechanism for typewriters comprising a pair of ribbon spools; a miter drive for each spool; a tiltably-supported and axially-shiftable shaft with opposed bevel gears for alternately activating the spool miter drives; mechanism operative to tilt said shaft when ribbon is exhausted from either spool; and alternately active leaf springs effective to move the shaft axially, when it is tilted, to clutch the same with the miter drive of the spool from which the ribbon has been exhausted, and concurrently unclutch that of the full spool.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this twenty-fifth day of October. 1926.

ROBIE SEIDELINGER. 

